Ensouled Part Nine - only part demon

Summary: Spike comes to LA looking for Angel, together they try and figure out what it means to be Ensouled.

Pairings: Angel/Spike, Angelus/William, Lilah/Wesley, Buffy/Spike implied, Angel(us)/Darla Implied

Disclaimer: Joss created my darling boys, I just let them run around in my head until they must come out.

Distribution: Please ask, although why you would want to house a 41,674 word long story is beyond me.

Angel and Spike had rushed down the stairs behind Fred trying to catch the few words left intelligible in her excitement. "And then it said something about the glowing...could take away anger...evolving...The Axis of Pythia can bring her back...an I'm sorry I can't stop." Fred took a breath and sat down in a chair, then she stood up again and shoved a book in front of Angel.

"Okay Fred, Honey, let’s try this again." Angel took the chair abandoned by the flittering Texan and glanced at the page he was shown.

"Alright, we were trying to find out what kind of demon the Powers turned Cordelia into and Connor came across this section in the Twilight Compendium on demons who get visions. We ruled out Bracken demons, cause, ya know, no spiky things, then I found another bit about demons who radiate light when they manifest their powers and then when we started cross referencing in Hume’s guide to Paranormal Activities there was a section on humans who become part demon and then..."

Fred looked at Angel and grabbed an empty chair. She took a calming breath and sat down. "Sorry, I think you need to go see Skip."

"Well, after Cordelia’s birthday she had said that Skip was her ‘demon guide’ when she went through her change." Fred interjected, "He showed her what her life would have been like without having met Angel. So it only makes sense that he would be keeping track of her."

"So you think that the great pouf here visiting the ghost of Christmas future will bring the princess back?" Spike looked doubtful.

It had taken Angel nearly an hour to convince Spike he was well enough to take a second trip into the fun little demon dimension. The first twenty minutes had involved rational talk. The next twenty minutes was mostly Spike punching him in the ribs asking ‘Does this hurt?’. The last ten or so were mostly Angel punching Spike back asking the same question.

Now, here he was walking the dark halls looking for a demon that he was fairly sure wouldn't be glad to see him again. Angel walked into the fiery room where he had first met Skip, the room was empty. He exited out and wandered farther down the hall. He came to a large wooden door and heard voices inside. Since Angel was not exactly at his peak fighting level he decided surprise would be better than a polite knock and turned the handle.

Inside the room sat the familiar form of Skip, the sharp points of his armor and bronze skin just as he had remembered. He was accompanied by several other demons, all similarly dressed. They sat on two couches made of a rough material, clearly the entire group was enthralled by the television they were watching.

Skip turned his head to look at the intruder. "Oh hey, Angel, give me a second, I think Vaughn’s gonna kiss Sydney."

"He doesn’t. Can I talk to you?" Angel answered without missing a beat. He had come ready for a battle, not reruns of Alias.

"Yeah sure, ruin it for me, you know this is a first run here. We’re kind of like Sweden down here, we get everything months after you guys." Skip stood up and reached out to shake Angel's hand. Let’s go outside so we don't make too much noise."

Once Skip had shut the door to the staff room, as he called it, he leaned against the wall and looked at Angel. "So how’s life back there treating you?" He motioned to the vampire's more obvious wounds. "Looks like you’ve had a rough summer."

"I'm fine. I want to know where Cordelia is, and I'm thinking you know." Angel struggled to keep his voice neutral.

"You know I'm really not a messenger. In fact I've got a whole new job description since the last time you were here." Skip stood back up fully, looking a little peeved. "I got docked two weeks pay when you marched out of here with Billy. Then I got put on probation, now I'm just showing new demons the ropes, I'm like a tour guide. It's kind of embarrassing to introduce yourself as Skip the tour guide you know. I feel like I should be wearing mouse ears or something."

"I'm sorry about that. Really. But you know why I did it and now I'm here again. And you ARE going to tell me where you ‘guided’ Cordy to." Angel took a step toward the demon to emphasize his point.

"She’s only part demon. Cordelia is a powerful lady. The powers gave her the whole gamut of powers. The visions and anger management were only the beginning. Her body couldn't temper that much raw energy without giving out. Even as a half demon it would have eventually been too much for her."

"No, we didn't take away her humanity any more than your little demon took yours. We just put her in a place where the forces within her would mesh with the space around her. The Powers didn't want to kill her Angel. They wanted to make her better. In the end it was her choice."

"I remember the last choice the Powers gave her. Become a demon or die. The Powers aren't exactly at the top of my list right now." Angel relaxed his hands hoping it would calm the rest of him. "Where is this place you sent her. How do I get her back?"

"Look, she’s on a higher plane now Angel, she’s evolved into a higher being. To rip her off of that plane would kill her. She’s become one with her surroundings like Nero in The Matrix. Her every thought affects her surroundings, she changes her environment and it changes her."

"No, you can't." Skip turned back to the door. "You better get out of here before my co-workers get suspicious and come out here."

Angel went to leave but Skip caught him on the shoulder. The vampire turned ready for a fight. "She loved you Angel. When she ascended, she loved you, I'm going to give you that little gift, but now you have to let her go."

"How can I let go of her, I'm only part demon too. I love her. The human in me loves her, and if I let go of her, I think I lose my humanity. I lose half of myself in her."

"The Axis." The demon said without elaborating. Skip let go of Angel's shoulder and went back into the staff room.

Angel took out the key and watched it begin to spin on the ground. He stepped into the light it shed and back into LA, more determined than ever to find Cordelia.


	The Adventures of Captain Peroxide and Deadboy The Angel/Spike Zone of the BtVS Writer's Guild Home Updates Stories Resources Extras News Music Forum Contact Guestbook Links Full Version Fiction by: Title Author Pairing Rating Ensouled Part IX - Only Part Demon Author: Tania Summary: Spike comes to LA looking for Angel, together they try and figure out what it means to be Ensouled. Rating: Mainly R/NC-17 Pairings: Angel/Spike, Angelus/William, Lilah/Wesley, Buffy/Spike implied, Angel(us)/Darla Implied Timeline: Runs the gamut Disclaimer: Joss created my darling boys, I just let them run around in my head until they must come out. Distribution: Please ask, although why you would want to house a 41,674 word long story is beyond me. Feedback: Please, by all means, Email Tania Angel and Spike had rushed down the stairs behind Fred trying to catch the few words left intelligible in her excitement. "And then it said something about the glowing...could take away anger...evolving...The Axis of Pythia can bring her back...an I'm sorry I can't stop." Fred took a breath and sat down in a chair, then she stood up again and shoved a book in front of Angel. "Okay Fred, Honey, let’s try this again." Angel took the chair abandoned by the flittering Texan and glanced at the page he was shown. "Alright, we were trying to find out what kind of demon the Powers turned Cordelia into and Connor came across this section in the Twilight Compendium on demons who get visions. We ruled out Bracken demons, cause, ya know, no spiky things, then I found another bit about demons who radiate light when they manifest their powers and then when we started cross referencing in Hume’s guide to Paranormal Activities there was a section on humans who become part demon and then..." "Look ducks, is there a bottom line here?" Spike asked not masking his impatience. Fred looked at Angel and grabbed an empty chair. She took a calming breath and sat down. "Sorry, I think you need to go see Skip." "What does Skip have to do with this?" "Who’s Skip?" Both vampires asked simultaneously. "Well, after Cordelia’s birthday she had said that Skip was her ‘demon guide’ when she went through her change." Fred interjected, "He showed her what her life would have been like without having met Angel. So it only makes sense that he would be keeping track of her." "So you think that the great pouf here visiting the ghost of Christmas future will bring the princess back?" Spike looked doubtful. "It's worth a shot. Do we still have the key?" Angel asked. "Yes, um Wesley, uh, he put it in the safe in your office." Fred answered. "Angel, dare I ask what you need a key for?" "Road Trip." **** It had taken Angel nearly an hour to convince Spike he was well enough to take a second trip into the fun little demon dimension. The first twenty minutes had involved rational talk. The next twenty minutes was mostly Spike punching him in the ribs asking ‘Does this hurt?’. The last ten or so were mostly Angel punching Spike back asking the same question. Now, here he was walking the dark halls looking for a demon that he was fairly sure wouldn't be glad to see him again. Angel walked into the fiery room where he had first met Skip, the room was empty. He exited out and wandered farther down the hall. He came to a large wooden door and heard voices inside. Since Angel was not exactly at his peak fighting level he decided surprise would be better than a polite knock and turned the handle. Inside the room sat the familiar form of Skip, the sharp points of his armor and bronze skin just as he had remembered. He was accompanied by several other demons, all similarly dressed. They sat on two couches made of a rough material, clearly the entire group was enthralled by the television they were watching. "Excuse me." Angel said quietly. Skip turned his head to look at the intruder. "Oh hey, Angel, give me a second, I think Vaughn’s gonna kiss Sydney." "He doesn’t. Can I talk to you?" Angel answered without missing a beat. He had come ready for a battle, not reruns of Alias. "Yeah sure, ruin it for me, you know this is a first run here. We’re kind of like Sweden down here, we get everything months after you guys." Skip stood up and reached out to shake Angel's hand. Let’s go outside so we don't make too much noise." Once Skip had shut the door to the staff room, as he called it, he leaned against the wall and looked at Angel. "So how’s life back there treating you?" He motioned to the vampire's more obvious wounds. "Looks like you’ve had a rough summer." "I'm fine. I want to know where Cordelia is, and I'm thinking you know." Angel struggled to keep his voice neutral. "You know I'm really not a messenger. In fact I've got a whole new job description since the last time you were here." Skip stood back up fully, looking a little peeved. "I got docked two weeks pay when you marched out of here with Billy. Then I got put on probation, now I'm just showing new demons the ropes, I'm like a tour guide. It's kind of embarrassing to introduce yourself as Skip the tour guide you know. I feel like I should be wearing mouse ears or something." "I'm sorry about that. Really. But you know why I did it and now I'm here again. And you ARE going to tell me where you ‘guided’ Cordy to." Angel took a step toward the demon to emphasize his point. "She’s moved on Angel. She’s evolved to a higher plane." "What are you talking about. She’s part demon, how much farther can she evolve?" "She’s only part demon. Cordelia is a powerful lady. The powers gave her the whole gamut of powers. The visions and anger management were only the beginning. Her body couldn't temper that much raw energy without giving out. Even as a half demon it would have eventually been too much for her." "So you what? Made her a full demon?" Angel began to clench his fists. "No, we didn't take away her humanity any more than your little demon took yours. We just put her in a place where the forces within her would mesh with the space around her. The Powers didn't want to kill her Angel. They wanted to make her better. In the end it was her choice." "I remember the last choice the Powers gave her. Become a demon or die. The Powers aren't exactly at the top of my list right now." Angel relaxed his hands hoping it would calm the rest of him. "Where is this place you sent her. How do I get her back?" "Look, she’s on a higher plane now Angel, she’s evolved into a higher being. To rip her off of that plane would kill her. She’s become one with her surroundings like Nero in The Matrix. Her every thought affects her surroundings, she changes her environment and it changes her." "So, you're saying I can't get her back?" "No, you can't." Skip turned back to the door. "You better get out of here before my co-workers get suspicious and come out here." Angel went to leave but Skip caught him on the shoulder. The vampire turned ready for a fight. "She loved you Angel. When she ascended, she loved you, I'm going to give you that little gift, but now you have to let her go." "How can I let go of her, I'm only part demon too. I love her. The human in me loves her, and if I let go of her, I think I lose my humanity. I lose half of myself in her." "The Axis." The demon said without elaborating. Skip let go of Angel's shoulder and went back into the staff room. Angel took out the key and watched it begin to spin on the ground. He stepped into the light it shed and back into LA, more determined than ever to find Cordelia. **** Part Ten Copyright 2002 - Tania Violators will be beaten to death with a shovel (A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend)